Notices

The first class session will be on Monday night, August 28, 2017, from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., at the George Washington University Law School, 20th & H Streets, NW, Washington, D.C. The exact classroom will be announced at a later date. Class sessions will continue to meet on Monday nights, from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., at the George Washington University Law School for the remainder of the semester. Class will not be held on September 4, 2017, for the Labor Day holiday. For the class scheduled on October 9, 2017, Georgetown Law and Catholic Law students are not required to attend, as the class falls on the Columbus Day holiday that is observed by both schools. Georgetown Law and Catholic Law students may view a recording of the October 9th class that will be available following the class. Also, the professors will hold an in-person make-up class, to be scheduled at a later date, so Georgetown Law and Catholic Law students may have the opportunity for in-class participation for the topic that the October 9th class covers--students from GW Law and AU Law are not required to attend that make-up class. The final class for the course will be held on November 27, 2017.

Description

This course will explore the powers and responsibilities of the federal prosecutor with students from several area law schools. Class segments will focus on how decisions are made by federal prosecutors throughout different stages of the criminal justice system, in light of legal, policy, practical and ethical considerations. Using actual cases as well as federal statutes, guidelines, and other materials, the course will discuss the factors that influence the decisions and discretion of the federal prosecutor. The course will also examine the interaction between and among federal, state and foreign jurisdictions, in particular the interests of competing sovereigns in the investigation and prosecution of criminal activity.

Textbooks and Other Materials

The textbook information on this page was provided by the instructor. Students should use this information when considering purchases from the AU Campus Store or other vendors. Students may check to determine if books are currently available for purchase online.

First Class Readings

The required text is Proving Federal Crimes, by David Marshall Nissman, Andrew Creighton, and Joseph Wheatley. The textbook is in the process of being revised for a new edition by the professors. The textbook will be provided free of charge, in PDF format, for use in the class, and is not to be distributed outside the class. The textbook will be provided to you, directly from the professors by e-mail, approximately one week before the class starts.
There will also be reading materials, referenced below in the weekly class assignments. We may make changes to the reading materials over the course of the semester, as needed. In addition to printed packets of the weekly class assignments that you may obtain through your law schools, the electronic PDF version of this syllabus contains hyperlinks to the reading sources for the weekly class assignments, such as Westlaw.

Syllabus

Use your MyAU username and password to access the syllabus in the following format(s):